trapezium

American  

[truh-pee-zee-uhm] / trəˈpi zi əm /

noun

trapeziums, plural trapezia plural

1. Geometry.

   1. (in Euclidean geometry) any rectilinear quadrilateral plane figure not a parallelogram.

   2. a quadrilateral plane figure of which no two sides are parallel.

   3. British. trapezoid.

2. Anatomy. a bone in the wrist that articulates with the metacarpal bone of the thumb.

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trapezium British  

/ trəˈpiːzɪəm /

noun

1. Usual US and Canadian name: trapezoid.  a quadrilateral having two parallel sides of unequal length

2. a quadrilateral having neither pair of sides parallel

3. a small bone of the wrist near the base of the thumb

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trapezium Scientific  

/ trə-pē′zē-əm /

trapeziums plural

1. A four-sided plane figure having no parallel sides.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• trapezial
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• trapezia
  plural
• trapeziums
  plural

Etymology

Origin of trapezium

1545–55; < New Latin < Greek trapézion kind of quadrilateral, literally, small table, equivalent to trápez ( a ) table (shortening of *tetrapeza object having four feet, equivalent to tetra- four + péza foot, akin to poús, podós; see tetra-, foot) + -ion diminutive suffix

Example Sentences

Along with the quartet of bright suns at its centre called the Trapezium, this region of space is visible to the naked eye as a smudge on the sky.

From BBC • Oct. 2, 2023

An infrared composite image of the inner Orion Nebula and Trapezium Cluster captured by the James Webb Space Telescope.Credit...NASA,

From New York Times • Oct. 2, 2023

The conversation moves on to the Trapezium Cluster — the stellar nursery under Orion’s belt — and the delimiter, also known as the moon’s sunset line.

From New York Times • Mar. 27, 2023

At the heart of the nebula is the Trapezium cluster, which includes four very bright stars that provide much of the energy that causes the nebula to glow so brightly.

From Textbooks • Oct. 13, 2016

Not the least interesting of its features are the four stars known as the "Trapezium," which are located in a dark region near its centre.

From Side-Lights on Astronomy and Kindred Fields of Popular Science by Newcomb, Simon